Display fixture and material therefor



Feb. 11, 1941. R. I. Eusns 2,231,261

DISPLAY FIXTURE AND MATERIAL THEREFOR Filed June 24, 19158 26' 554: 1a 14 i a! 30 K a E: a! 14 1 N VE N TOR.

Patented Feb. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES fiATENT OFFICE DISPLAY FIXTURE AND MATERIAL THEREFOR 7 Glaims.

My invention relates to display fixtures and shelving to be employed to construct the same and has particular reference to a novel means and material for constructing display shelves,

cabinets, and similar structures for use in stores and like locations.

In the construction of display and stock shelves in stores it is the common practice to provide a series of shelves extending along a considerable length of the walls of the establishment, such shelves being designed to carry relatively heavy loads of stock placed thereon. In order to present a pleasing appearance it has been the practice to construct the shelves of relatively thick beards of hardwood or other more or less expensive lumber which would be readily finished to conform with the architectural decoration or scheme of the establishment.

To support such shelves, particularly over a considerable length, it was necessary to provide a great number of posts, brackets or intermediate division members, rendering the finished appearance of the shelves either unsightly because of the number of posts and brackets required to be exposed or, where the shelves were divided into relatively short lengths by division members, because the shelf space was so cut up and divided as to not only use a great portion of the horizontal space for such division members, but also the finished appearance of the shelves or shelf fixtures Was unsightly.

With the introduction of modernistic styles it is especially desirable that the shelving and fixtures present relatively long unbroken areas to conform with other modernistic designs employed in the architectural finish of the store or similar establishment, in which event the supporting structure for the shelves or fixtures was required to support not only the live load of the stock to be contained thereon, but also to support the heavy shelf material.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a new and novel shelf material which may be extremely light in weight and have great strength in a longitudinal direction and which may be readily and inexpensively manufactured.

Another object of my invention is to provide a shelf or fixture material in which relatively thin sections of plywood are provided with such 10ngitudinal bracing and strengthening members as will permit relatively long spans of this material to sustain heavy loads without bending or distorting the shelves.v

Another object of my invention is to provide a structure of the character set forth in the preceding paragraph which may be readily manufactured as a fixture lumber and supplied as such directly to the manufacturer of the fixtures, the lumber being supplied in such lengths and widths as will readily permit it to be ripped into correct shelf widths and to be finished with minimum of skilled labor.

Another object of my invention is to provide a shelf material of the character set forth in which relatively long spans of shelves constructed therefrom may be supported at a minimum number of points along the length of the shelves with ample provision to prevent sagging of the shelves when loaded.

Another object of my invention is to provide store fixtures constructed of the material as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein long unbroken spans of shelves may be erected from a number of lengths of shelf material placed end to end and in which the junction between such sections may be readily concealed to present the appearance of a single long span unit.

Another object of my invention is to provide a joint between adj acent sections in along span of shelves in which each of the sections is independently supported from. the remainder of the sections.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from a study of the following specification read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typical shelf or similar fixture embodying the principles of my invention, a portion of the shelves being illustrated in an exploded position.

Fig. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the abutting ends of sections of a shelf such as the shelves shown in Fig. 1 and illustrating in detail the manner in which the shelf material is constructed.

Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of a section of the shelf or fixture material which may be employed to erect a fixture or set of shelves as shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated a typical fixture installation which may be employed as stock supporting shelves for stores or similar establishments which may include a plurality of vertical supports I, 2 and 3 secured to a wall of the establishment or, if desired, may be so constructed with feet (not shown) as to be substantially self sustaining without the necessity of bolting or otherwise securing the same to a wall. The vertical supports I, 2 and 3 are illustrated herein as being constructed of angle iron or steel, preferably having a short leg la. adapted to extend parallel with and to abut the surface of the wall, and a relatively long leg lb adapted to extend forwardly of the wall in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the wall.

The supports l, 2 and 3 may be of any suitable height, though I prefer that they should extend to at least the height of the uppermost shelf to be employed in the installation or, if desired, they may extend above the uppermost shelf to permit the attachment thereto of a top finish structure which may be desired to finish ofi the set of shelves or fixtures.

The bottom shelf or base shelf 4 may be constructed of any suitable material, such as plywood, disposed immediately adjacent the floor and supported in a spaced relation thereto by any desired number of spacing bars 5 so as to provide a bottom shelf structure which may extend throughout the length of the shelf assembly or fixture assembly with which it is associated. The space between the surface of the bottom shelf 4 and the floor may be finished with any suitable trim strip such as that illustrated at 6. To conform with a somewhat modernistic design which may be desired one or both ends of the bottom shelf 4 may be rounded off as indicated at 1 and the finish strip 6 may be bent around this curved or rounded end to complete the structure somewhat in the fashion illustrated in Fig. 1.

Where the fixture is to extend from one corner of the storeroom, one end of the fixture may be comprised by a vertically extending end wall member 8 disposed against the end wall of the establishment and is provided at spaced points along its vertical height with cleats 8a, 8b and 80 adapted to engage the ends of a series of shelves spaced vertically along the fixture. One such shelf is illustrated at 9 as comprising a long span extending completely from the end wall member 8 throughout the entire length of the fixture. The shelf 9 maybe so constructed as to produce the appearance of a shelf of the desired length constructed as a single unit, though as will be hereinafter more fully described, such shelf may be assembled from short sections of suitable shelf material, each section being of a more or less standard length which may be readily handled in the building up of the fixture.

Referring particularly to Figures 2 and 3, it will be noted that the shelf material comprises a built up or fabricated lumber particularly adapted as shelf and fixture material constructed as a relatively thin top plate l0 and a relatively thin bottom plate H spaced from each other by a plurality of longitudinally extending spacer strips 12. The upper plate I 0 may be constructed from a single thin sheet of wood, the upper surface of which may be finished to conform with the architectural finish of the establishment though I prefer that this plate be constructed of plywood to provide relatively great strength and resistance to bending or warping.

The bottom plate ll may similarly be constructed of plywood, the top and bottom plates being glued throughout their length to the spacer strips I2 so that the assembled structure or lumber will be rigid in a lateral direction due to the truss like structure provided by the top and bottom sheets secured to the spacer strips, while the assembly will be rigid throughout its length by reason of the relatively thick longitudinal spacer strips which will lend rigidity and resistance to bending or sagging throughout the length of the section of lumber so constructed.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that such fixture material or lumber may be readily manufactured either at the mill or in a shop of any desired lengths and any desired widths. For example, shelf material may be made up in standard lengths of eight feet, and standard widths of six feet by employing the usual standard lengths and widths of plywood manufactured, and may be stored and shipped as shelf material adapted to be ripped into any suitable shelf widths in a carpenter shop or on the job merely by ripping such material lengthwise. This structure permits the employment of hardwood fixture plywood so that the finished appearance of a shelf or fixture constructed from the same will be that of the hardwood material employed as an outer layer of the plywood, while other less expensive materials may be employed for the inner plys of the plates 10 and l I and for the spacer strips i2 so that an extremely light weight and economical fixture or shelf material may be produced.

I prefer that the lumber or shelf material be initially constructed with headers or header strips l3 and l3a extending across the ends of the assembly glued or otherwise secured directly to the ends of the spacer strips [2 and to the top and bottom plates l0 and H, the outermost header l3a being set back from the ends of the plates IE1 and Il by a suitable standard dimension such as three-fourths of an inch so that lengths of the lumber may be readily joined end to end when assembled in a fixture such as that shown in Fig. 1 in such a manner that each of the ends of each of the sections is individually supported, while the extreme ends of the top and bottom plates will abut each other to present an unbroken shelf surface.

Such an assembly is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 as including a bracket l4 secured to the post 2. The bracket 14 is illustrated as comprising a section of channel iron 15 formed with an angular end 16, the base of the channel l5 being provided with a suitable screw or bolt opening ll through which a single pivot bolt may be passed into openings 18 on the forwardly projecting flange or web. of the post 2, while an adjusting screw l9 may be threaded through the angular end It to abut the lateral flange of the post 2 to adjust or level the bracket l4 upon the post.

The width of the edge flanges of the channel I5 is preferably substantially equal to the spacing of the header i3 inwardly from the ends of the-plates Ill and II so that by merely sliding the shelf material longitudinally toward the bracket it, the bracket will be seated within the recess or space formed by the overhanging of the top and bottom plates.

When the bracket Mis to be employed for the junction of two shelf sections a cleat 20 may be secured to the base of the channel Hi, the cleat having a vertical height substantially equal to the height of the spacers l2 and header l3 and having a width substantially equal to the recess formed by the overhang of the top and bottom plates so that when the two abutting sections are assembled together as shown at 9a in Fig. 1, the entire bracket will be concealed within the assembled sections.

It will be apparent therefore that the entire load of one end of each of the sections will be independently supported upon the bracket l4 and in order to transmit this load to the assembly or lumber I provide clips 2| preferably formed as U-shaped sections of sheet metal secured as by screws or nails directly to the header E3 in such manner as to have their legs extend above and below the channel IE or the cleat 20. Thus the weight carried by each of the shelf sections will be transmitted directly from the assembled spacer strips and header to the bracket Without imposing undue strain upon the glued joint between the top plate In and the spacer strips.

The over-all length of the bracket I4 is preferably such that when the shelves are assembled thereon the outer end of the bracket will terminate substantially flush with the outer edge of the shelf material associated therewith and a suitable thin finish strip 9b of thin veneer, metal or Bakelite may be attached to the assembled edges of the sections to finish off such edges in conformity with the architectural scheme of decoration for the establishment within which it is employed.

The end of the shelf which abuts the division member or wall member 8 may be supported by an additional bracket similar to M or if desired may be supported entirely by a cleat such as 8b secured to the division member, such cleats being of such height and thickness as to fit within the recess formed by the overhanging of the top and bottom plates ll, preferably accommodating metal clips 2! within the recess to assist in distributing the load as hereinbefore described.

It should be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1 that the length of each of the shelf sections is limited only by the ability to handle the same in installing or erecting the fixture since, while the ends are adequately supported either against the wall member 8 or at their point of abutment with other shelf sections, any number of intermediate supports may be provided along the length of the shelf section. Such intermediate supports may comprise a bracket Ma constructed as a bent section of channel iron secured to intermediate posts such as post I, the forwardly extending arm of the bracket [4a being received in a laterally extending opening Mm bored into the shelf material, as by boring laterally through each of the spacer strips l2.

The height and width of the channel member, of which the bracket is constructed, should be such that a hole bored through the spacer strips l2 will readily receive the bracket l4 and conceal the same between the upper and lower plates of the shelf material. If desired, in order to assist in distributing the load between the bracket Him and the shelf material, this intermediate bore may be lined with a short length of metal tubing illustrated at 22. The outer end of the bore and the lining will be, of course, completely covered by the finish strip 91) applied to the shelf after installation.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that a shelf may be constructed to extend substantially the full length of a relatively long wall to provide an uninterrupting shelf surface upon which stock may be arranged, thereby no intermediate divisions or vertical division members are required to support such a shelf, and further, that the ends of the shelf may be arranged to extend beyond the end post (such as I) without the necessity of providing any end board or division member to support this overhanging end of the shelves. This permits the ends of the shelves to be rounded, squared, or cut to any desired shape when finishing off shelves in a modernistic style,

The finished appearance of the shelves is that of a long shelf apparently unsupported throughout its entire length, but which is actually so supported as to provide for the reception of relatively great loads without sagging or bending or twisting of any portion of the shelf. The employment of the longitudinal spacer strips l2, for example three-fourths of an inch in height, provides adequate stiffening members, lending great rigidity to the shelf in a longitudinal direction, while the employment of the relatively long brackets extending laterally of the shelves provides adequate lateral support for the shelves, preventing bending or twisting of the shelves under laterally disposed loads.

The same fixture material as that employed for the construction of the shelves themselves may also be employed for the construction of the end board 8 and for other boards employed in the erection of any particular design of fixture. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 1, it may be desired to provide a series of relatively closely spaced shelves 23 at one or more points along the length of the entire fixture and such shelves may be readily formed. by providing a short end member 24 constructed of the same character of material (assembled plate and spacer material) adapted to be supported upon brackets Mb secured to one of the posts such as that indicated at 2, merely by boring lateral openings through the spacer strips [2 of that piece of material and sliding the piece of material onto the forwardly projecting arms of the brackets Mb. In this manner the division or end member 24 will be adequately supported upon the post 2, both in a vertical and lateral direction. Short narrow shelves may then be secured to the end or division member 24 as by providing cleats (not shown) thereon corresponding to the cleats 80 attached to the wall, member 8, permitting the shelves to be removably attached between the division member 24 and the wall member 8.

The entire fixture may therefore be readily assembled upon the job merely by erecting the base 4 and disposing a suitable number of posts I, 2 and 3 along the wall of the establishment and all of the parts such as shelves 9, divisions 24, short shelves 23 and wall member 8 may then be removably attached, as herein described, to the supporting structure. Such construction permits the ready removal of the component parts of the fixture or the ready rearrangement of the shelves, divisions and other elements if a different arrangement is desired.

If it is desired to provide back panelling 25 to completely conceal the posts I, 2 and 3, such panelling may be arranged as illustrated at the left hand end of Fig. 1 by providing vertically extending strips 26 extending parallel to the posts I and 2 and secured in closely spaced relation thereto as by spacer blocks 21 to which the main sections of the back panelling 25 (constructed preferably of plywood) may be secured. The adjacent sections of the back panelling should terminate in a spaced relation to each other on opposite sides of the posts to provide a space 28 through which access to the posts may be had for the purpose of attaching the brackets Ma or Mb thereto. Such space 28 may be readily covered after the brackets have been installed as by employing a series of strips 29 of the same plywood material as employed for the back panelling 25, each of said strips extending between the brackets attached to any one post being recessed at their top and bottom ends as indicated at 30 to accommodate the posts while the abutting ends of adjacent strips 21 will be entirely concealed when the shelves 9 are placed upon the brackets, the junction between the adjacent strips lying immediately behind the rear edge of the shelf sections. The lowermost of the strips 29 may extend slightly below the bottom shelf 4 while the upper end is provided with a recess 38 to accommodate the lowermost bracket Ma.

It will therefore be seen that I have provided a new fixture material which is readily and inexpensively constructed and which is adapted for use either as shelf material, division material or end wall material for the erection of fixtures of the character described and in which such material, though extremely light in weight, provides adequate strength to support relatively great loads without sagging or twisting. Further, it will be noted that I have provided a ready means for assembling shelves, division members, end members etc. to form a complete fixture or set of fixtures which will present a pleasing appearance and which may be readily erected, readily removed or readily rearranged to conform with the conditions existing in the particular establishment or any changes which may be desired to be made. Such fixtures may be installed in one establishment and readily be removed therefrom for use in another establishment merely by disassembling the removably associated elements and rearranging them either in the same or different manner in the new establishment.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to any of the details of construction shown or described herein, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fixture or shelf material consisting of a board including a top sheet of plywood and a bottom sheet of plywood disposed in spaced parallel relation to each other and a plurality of Wood spacer strips disposed between and extending longitudinally of said sheets, said spacer strips being disposed in spaced relation to each other laterally of said sheets, and header strips disposed at each end of said board extending laterally between said sheets and spaced inwardly from the ends of said sheets to define a support receiving recess at the ends of said board, said header strips being secured to said sheets and to the adjacent ends of the spacer strips, and one or more support engaging metal clips disposed in said recess and secured to said header strips for engaging supports and transmitting the load of said board to supports independently of said top and bottom sheets.

2. In a shelf construction a plurality of shelf sections each constructed as an elongated board including a top sheet, a bottom sheet, and longitudinally extending spacer strips disposed between and secured to said top and bottom sheets, laterally extending header strips at each end of such boards secured to the ends of said spacer strips and defining a recess between said sheets extending inwardly from the ends thereof, metal clips disposed within the recess formed by said header strips and secured to said header strips, and means for-supporting said shelf sections in end abutting relation to each other including a bracket extending transversely of the shelf boards and received in the space defined by the recess in the abutting ends of the shelf sections to engage said clips, whereby the load of the shelf will be transmitted to the bracket independently of the overhanging ends of the sheets and the overhanging ends of said sheets will enclose and conceal said bracket.

3. In a shelf construction a plurality of shelf sections each constructed as an elongated board including a top sheet, a bottom sheet, and longitudinally extending spacer strips disposed between and secured to said top and bottom sheets, and laterally extending header strips disposed at each end of said board defining a recess disposed between said sheets extending inwardly of the ends thereof, and means for supporting said shelf sections in end abutting relation to each other including a bracket extending transversely of the shelf boards and received in the space defined by the recesses in the abutting ends of the shelf sections, and means for supporting said shelf sections intermediate their ends comprising bores through said spacer strips aligned laterally of said shelf sections, and intermediate brackets insertable in said aligned bores to engage said spacer strips and to be concealed between said sheets.

4. In a shelf construction a plurality of shelf sections each constructed as an elongated board including a top sheet, a bottom sheet, and longitudinally extending spacer strips disposed between and secured to said top and bottom sheets, laterally extending header strips disposed at each end of said board defining a recess disposed between said sheets extending inwardly of the ends thereof, means for supporting said shelf sections in end abutting relation to each other including a bracket extending transversely of the shelf boards and received in the space defined by the recesses in the abutting ends of the shelf sections, and means for supporting said shelf sections intermediate their ends comprising bores through said spacer strips aligned laterally of said shelf sections, intermediate brackets insertable in said aligned bores to engage said spacer strips and to be concealed between said sheets, and a tubular liner carried in said bores for encompassing said bracket.

5. In a fixture construction a board comprising a pair of sheet members disposed in parallel relation to each other and spaced from each other by longitudinally extending spacer strips secured to both of said sheets, and means for supporting said boards including spaced brackets having board engaging arms extending laterally of said boards, and bracket receiving openings in said boards each including a bore extending laterally through said spacer strips and aligned with each other laterally of the board.

6. A fixture comprising a plurality of vertically extending posts, a plurality of shelf boards supported upon said posts in spaced relation to each other, said boards each including a top and bottom sheet spaced from each other by laterally extending spaced strips disposed between and secured to said sheets, means for supporting said boards upon said posts including brackets secured to said posts and projecting laterally with respect to said boards, and back panelling for concealing said posts including panel sheets extending between said posts but terminating in spaced relation to said posts and panel strips interposed between the spaced ends of adjacent panel sheets, each of said strips extending vertidisposed at each end of said board extending between said sheets and defining a support receiving recess between said sheets extending inwardly from the ends thereof, said header strips being secured to said sheets and to the adjacent ends of the spacer strips, and one or more support engaging metal clips disposed in said recess and secured to said header strips for engaging supports and transmitting the load of said board to supports independently of said top and bottom 10 sheets.

ROBERT I. EUSTIS. 

